Fried Eggs and Green Tomatoes
by Descartes413
Summary: Post Advent Children. After once again vanishing from the face of the civilized world, Vincent Valentine finds himself living in isolation within the wilderness of Gaia. Fate, however, ends thrusts him into the midst of a power struggle in Wutai..........
1. Beginning

**Author's Note: My first attempt at writing, so please R&R.. Suggestions, praise, and constructive criticism is appreciated.**

_Overview: Following the end of Advent Children, Vincent Valentine finds himself alone in the wilderness of Gaia and is intent on living the rest of his immortal days in as peaceful a manner as possible. Despite his attempt at isolation, he is abruptly thrust into Gaia's limelight when a massive power struggle in Wutai threatens to destabilize Reeve Tuesti's fledging WRO (World Regenesis Organization) and endanger a certain female shinobi.._

**Chapter One**

_Hiss....._

Deep within the wooded forest of the Temuge Highlands, miles away from any sort of civilized setting, the smell of slowly frying eggs wafted through the surprisingly well-constructed cottage of Vincent Valentine; gunslinger extraordinaire and "retired" member of the famous AVALANCHE party. Even after the miraculous conclusion of the Geostigma incident, in which the members of Avalanche had received a hero's celebration, the cloaked ex-Turk had insisted in fading away from the eyes and ears of popular life (much to the indignant protests of Yuffie and Tifa) as quickly as possible.

_Salt... Perhaps?_

With the skill and precision of a man long used to cooking breakfasts for himself, Vincent Valentine carefully sprinkled a tiny dash of salt on the golden yolks of his fried eggs, taking care not to overdo this phase of the process. Overly salty eggs were after all, as Yuffie Kisaragi had more than once said, "an icky start" to what would usually be a "nasteriffic" day.

_Icky?... Nasteriffic?..._

The very thought of the hyperactive, loquacious, and often juvenile ninja was more than enough to cause the gunslinger's normally stoic face to wrinkle up at the corner of the mouth in an affectionate, albeit brief smile. To an angst-ridden and tormented soul like Vincent Valentine, characters such as Yuffie Kisaragi were brief moments of sunshine in the nightmarish fingers of never ending darkness. While the nightmares and guilt of Vincent's "sin" never stopped haunting him even after the demise of Sephiroth and Meteor, there were times when even the countless demons implanted into his immortal soul could not stop the infectious attitude of the young ninja from touching Vincent's heart.

_Three Weeks Earlier._...

_Inside Seventh Heaven, the sounds of celebration echoed throughout the night as friends and acquaintances of all sizes rejoiced at the extraordinary healing of the victims of the Geostigma, and the demise to yet another Sephiroth with extreme vigor. At Tifa's insistence, all food and drinks were served free of charge, resulting in a horde of jubilant citizens flocking to the doors of Seventh Heaven for a free feast and a chance to glance upon the heroes who had saved the world from destruction._

_From his position in the corner of the bar, Vincent Valentine quietly observed the scene with a glass of sherry in his normal human hand. Cid and Barrett, the more obscene members of the group, had attracted a fairly large crowd of impressed onlookers with their "little game", and were in the process of drinking themselves into oblivion. Cait Sith, still perched atop the fiery mane of Red XIII, provided music to accentuate the drama of AVALANCHE's battle with Bahamut SIN, vastly exaggerating his role in the conflict with a reedy tenor of a voice._

_Scowling at the ridiculous sight, Vincent Valentine slowly turned his attention back to the glass of sherry in his hand, draining the spirit in one quick motion. Despite being completely immune to the intoxicating effects of alcohol due to the multitude of scientific experiments performed on his body, the gunslinger nevertheless enjoyed the burning sensation that came along with the drink... A reminder that long ago, he too had been human once._

_From the corner of his eye, he happened to notice the figures of Cloud and Tifa holding a tender conversation next to the bar, in which the spiky headed blond softly touched his companion's cheek and brought the lips of the young woman to his own in a passionate kiss._

_Apparently, Vincent wasn't the only one to notice.. Within half a breath, the entire barroom erupted into an overwhelming clamor of cheers, wolf-whistles, and applause._

_"About fuckin' time, Spike!" guffawed Cid, standing up from his seat to address the couple, "I wondered when you'd start using the other set of brains the rest of the male population seem to have..."_

_Barrett, visibly touched by this long awaited romantic gesture, hastily wiped away a tear from his left eye with his prosthetic gun-arm, draining yet another glass of whiskey in an attempt to mask his emotional display._

_"Awww....." giggled Yuffie Kisaragi, perched on an adjacent barstool next to the hulking man, "Is big, ol' tough, Barrett-Warrett crying? Does he need a lollipop from mommy to make it all feel better?"_

_"Shut up, brat..." spoke Barrett, scowling, "Jus' the alcohol talking...."_

_Inwardly, Vincent smiled at this sight, privately pleased with Cloud and Tifa finally becoming a couple. It had been a very long time since the group's original vanquishing of Sephiroth and the Meteor Crisis, and he had certainly noticed the familiar feelings of guilt and loss within the blue eyed swordsman since then. Guilt, pain, anger.... Those emotions slowly __ate away inside until the soul left a black, rotten remnant of what it had been before._

_Nodding approvingly in Tifa's direction, the gunslinger stood up from his seat and slowly walked toward the new couple, glass in hand. Almost immediately the entire room died down to silence, the crowd listening intently on what the mysterious gunslinger would say._

_"Congratulations...." spoke Vincent in his low baritone, bowing slightly._

_Without a further word or gesture, the gunslinger slowly turned towards the direction of the stairs, and walked on._

_Cloud had found his absolution for Aerith's death, finally forgiving himself for not being able to stop Masamune from piercing that young woman's once breathing frame. Sin was forgiven.. In Cloud's case. While happy that his friend has found peace, Vincent nevertheless knew that some sins were past forgiveness and would always haunt the sinner for years afterward. He personally knew firsthand, still plagued with the memories and nightmares of his inability to stop Lucrecia from creating the greatest monster of the century. _

_Having his reached his destination, the topmost outside balcony of Seventh Heaven, Vincent slowly allowed his thoughts to focus on the beautiful night sky overlooking Edge, resting his arms against the wooden guardrail in a contemplative fashion. Nights like these almost brought peace to Vincent.... Almost.._

"_Awesome night, huh, Vinnie?" a cheery voice from behind him called, penetrating his thoughts with its airy tone._

_Despite the lack of illumination, Vincent Valentine could easily make out the shape of Yuffie Kisaragi's mischievous grin from underneath the door frame of the adjacent hallway; a perfectly pleasant set of pearly-whites fixed in a wide "Chesire Cat" smile. The young ninja had indeed grown up quite a bit in the two years prior to today's events, and was beginning to blossom into a beautiful young lady fit to become the next queen of Wutai. Her attitude had remained more __or less intact, however, as Vincent had noted._

"_Of course, Vinnie 'V'," continued the young lady, plopping her elbows down next to Vincent's position on the balcony, "The beauty of a night like this is pretty much made 'nil' when a certain party pooper decides to brood the night away from his friends."_

_Cocking her head to one side, Yuffie carefully glanced over the gunslinger's face, as if to peer into the inner workings of Vincent Valentine's mind._

"_What's the deal, Vinnie?"_

_A pair of blood-red eyes stared blankly back at her from behind the crimson cloak, eying Yuffie with a pained expression that told all. The brass gauntlet on Vincent's left arm, a vicious looking device with razor sharp talons, gripped the guard railing tightly, digging deep into the soft with very little effort. Within a matter of moments, the gunslinger's eyes turned away from Yuffie's form, focusing back on the solitary moon hovering high above the city._

"_He had... His mother's eyes...." murmured Vincent Valentine softly, "and... seeing him again...."_

_The cloaked gunslinger stopped in mid-sentence, knowing full well that the girl understood completely. An uncomfortable pause hung in midair until broken by Vincent continuing on._

"_It's hard. Knowing full well that all the death, all the destruction, and all the tears spawned from my cowardice... My sin.. My inability to stop the only person in my life worth loving from creating a monster; a monster whose sins stain my hands to this day."_

_Even to Yuffie Kisaragi's care-free personality, the sight of her longtime 'comrade' pouring out his repressed feelings of guilt and anguish made her genuinely feel sorry for Vincent Valentine; a rare occurrence since 'sorry' was a word unknown to the devilish rogue long accustomed to stealing unwary travelers of their materia._

"_I...." continued Vincent, struggling to keep his thoughts from exploding, "They..."_

"_They?" gasped Yuffie, grasping Vincent's shoulder in concern._

"_The demons, the abominations inside me laugh." spoke Vincent, grasping the wooden guard rail even tighter, "It's not a new occurrence, god knows that I've endured decades of never ending nightmares long before I met Cloud and yourself.. But hearing news of Sephiroth's remnants prowling Gaia and witnessing firsthand the sheer amount of devastation they've caused has intensified my nightmares to an almost unbearable state... Some of which not even I can bear much longer.."_

_Noticing Yuffie's wide eyed stare, Vincent paused in mid-sentence to compose his tense form, eventually bringing himself to calm after some effort. In all their travels, Yuffie had never seen Vincent Valentine's stoic demeanor falter in even the most dire situations; the former Turk hardly ever flinching despite the overwhelming odds, and was completely taken back at this show of emotion. Not knowing what to do, the ninja smoothly moved towards Vincent's cloaked frame and, without hesitation, wrapped her arms around his slender waist, burying her head deep into the folds of his velvet cloak. Inhaling deeply, she recognized the scent of cinnamon... a pleasant fragrance which seemed to emulate from his body, an unexpected, but not unwelcome surprise._

_Sliding her head carefully up his right shoulder, Yuffie allowed her face to rest gently in the space between Vincent's shoulder blade and right cheek, clinging tighter as she moved._

"_You smell nice.."_

_Shocked at this display of physical affection, Vincent stood dumbfounded for several moments before awkwardly reaching around the ninja's slim torso in gruff one-armed embrace._

"_Thanks...."_

Glancing down from his thoughts, Vincent was pleased to discover that his eggs had finished cooking and that the bacon that had been frying several minutes prior had turned into the desired shade of reddish-brown. Breakfast was ready.


	2. The Visit

_**Author's Note**_: Thanks for the reviews and encouragement, guys, it really does make me want to further this particular story. In general, I'll only start working on consecutive chapters only if reviews continue to come in. Writers are nourished by reader feedback, so please R&R.

**Chapter Two**

Shifting the cast iron frying pan slightly, Vincent Valentine carefully slid the pair of cooked eggs onto the pewter plate he had set beside the stove, nodding his head approvingly at how well this part of his breakfast had turned out. Lightly singed to a pleasant golden brown around the edges, the egg yolks had nevertheless retained their fluidity (and juiciness) and would go along very well with the last remaining slices of bread Vincent had in his possession.

In one fluid motion, the trained hands of the former Turk willed a small brown pepper shaker over the golden orbs of the sunny side-ups, depositing a tiny amount of black pepper on the eggs. Coupled with two slices of barley toast (fetched from a toaster several paces to Vincent's right side) and a sprig of parsley, the gunslinger's breakfast plate looked quite enticing indeed.

Yuffie would've been proud.

_Three Weeks Ago.._

"_You're leaving, aren't you…" spoke Yuffie, breaking the long silence._

_Vincent had been locked in this awkward position for quite some time now, and quite frankly had no idea of what to do. Yuffie's arms remained firmly clasped around his waist and showed no signs of relinquishing their position. Such displays of affection had long ceased to be familiar to the gunslinger, with no one ever entering his "personal sphere" in decades._

"_Yes…" replied Vincent, shifting awkwardly at the sound of her accusing tone._

"_Why?" questioned the young ninja, her voice trembling slightly with emotion, "Vinnie… For the first time in years, the Planet is at peace, Shinra's finished, and you've got good friends around who genuinely care about YOU.."_

"_The Planet may be at peace, Yuffie…" spoke Vincent, "But I'm no-"_

"_Goddamn it!" cursed Yuffie, suddenly releasing her embrace and shoving Vincent's body roughly against the wooden guardrail in a fit of rage. "You're such a jackass! Can't you fucking see that wallowing in your own guilt and past absolutely DOESN'T help?"_

_Vincent blinked._

"_Sure, I know that it must be hard for you Vinnie…." continued Yuffie, her cheeks flushing beet red in anger, "I can't imagine what sort of things go on inside that head of yours, or what kind of hell you've been in…But for God's sake, Vincent… Don't pull a 'Cloud' on us, we all know how that turned out."_

"……"

_Sighing heavily in resignation, Yuffie hopped onto the guardrail of the balcony in a seating position, wrapping her arms around her legs tightly while allowing her chin to rest lightly on a pair of knees._

"_You know, Vinnie…" quipped the young ninja softly, turning her gaze out to the stars, "You're my friend… and I… I mean… um.."_

_Yuffie fidgeted a bit uncomfortably on the guardrail, before continuing on._

"_Well.."_

_Vincent eyed the girl carefully, loosening his grip on the rail to move a few paces closer to the ninja's frame._

"_You're special to all of us…"_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

A distant rumble quickly snapped Vincent Valentine back to reality, and forced him to temporarily discard all thoughts of breakfast for the flying speck of black he saw outside of his kitchen window. Vehicles, let alone aircraft, were absolutely never present around the mountainous region of the Temuge Highlands, and could only mean one thing:

Someone had found him.

The instinctive training of the Turks took over the mind of Vincent Valentine, prompting him to quickly leave the steaming plate of breakfast and hurry through the small hallway of his log cabin. Within a matter of seconds, the gunslinger arrived at a tiny little closet next to the backdoor entrance of his home. Flicking the closing latch of the closet with his left hand (which was currently lacking his trademark golden gauntlet for cooking reasons), Vincent opened the closet and carefully glanced over its contents.

Within the tiny room hung an impressive arsenal of firearms and mastered materia Vincent had acquired over his journeys throughout the whole of Gaia, coupled with boxes and boxes of ammunition. In a special glass case positioned purposely above the rest of the weapons hung the _Death Penalty, _the weapon given to him by Lucrecia during AVALANCHE's original foray against Meteor and Sephiroth. A monstrous rifle weighing more than twenty pounds, the Death Penalty was wickedly powerful rifle capable of blasting 12.7mm armor-piercing, high explosive rounds through _multiple _brick walls from hundreds of yards away.

Needless to say, one pitied the poor bastards on the receiving end of this barrel.

With one smooth motion, the gunslinger removed the rifle from its protective case, lifting the heavy weapon in one hand while snatching up a ten-round box of ammunition with another. Not pausing to close the closet door, Vincent flung himself out of the cabin (via back door) with superhuman speed, covering the thirty-two yards to a nearby wooden area in seconds.

Stooping low behind the cover of a large pine tree, Vincent's crimson eyes swiftly assessed the situation while his long, ungloved fingers shoved the massive cartridges into the loading gate of the massive weapon. One solitary helicopter hovered slowly over the log cabin for several moments before eventually descending onto a grassy knoll just in front of the structure.

With the last bullet loaded into the Death Penalty's tubular magazine, Vincent Valentine slowly cocked the semiautomatic action back and forth to send one of the 12.7mm rounds into the chamber of the weapon. Smoothly raising the stock of the rifle to his cheek, the former Turk focused all of his attention to the front sight of the weapon, taking care to slow both his breathing and heartbeat in order to maximize the potent device's accuracy.

From his position in the treeline, Vincent's enhanced vision could easily spot the helicopter's shiny black sliding door open slowly to allow a man in a crisp black business suit access to the ground.

Noting that the Death Penalty's sights were perfectly aligned with the head of this intruder, Vincent Valentine slowly began to depress the trigger of the enormous rifle, completely ready to scatter the man's brains into the wind, before stopping completely.

"Tseng?"

**Note: **The Death Penalty's appearance in this story remains the same as it was in the original game due to my general disdain of DoC.


	3. The Conversation

_**Note: Sorry, I think I might've made this chapter a bit long. **__**L**_

**Chapter Three**

"Christ…."

Wincing at the sharp pain that flashed from his rib cage, Tseng stepped off of the helicopter onto the grass. Despite the weeks that had passed since his run-in with the Kadaj's gang, the wounds inflicted from his torment still hurt like hell.

"Yo… Boss…" drawled a voice from the helicopter. "You need help?"

"I'm fine, Reno…" replied Tseng curtly, walking forward to the wooden cottage standing in front of him, "This won't take too long.."

Privately, Tseng cursed the name of Rufus Shinra for pressing this assignment on his plate barely after checking out of the hospital's intensive care unit. Shattered ribs, a mangled knee, lung puncture wounds, and countless blade cuts on his chest and back reminded him of the events several weeks prior, and would take months to recover fully. Despite his injuries, the veteran leader of the Turks saw the logic in Rufus sending him after the elusive gunslinger; the fact that Vincent Valentine would be far less likely to blast _his_ brains out being one of the main reasons.

_The man had, after all, rescued he and Elena from further torture and certain death several weeks prior._

Tseng sighed softly, peering into the glass window of Vincent's cottage before slowly turning the door handle and entering the gunslinger's home. As expected, the physical body of Vincent Valentine was nowhere to be found.

It was a small cottage, Tseng noted, which was isolated from the rest of the world due to its geographical location. Fitting, for a man the likes of Vincent Valentine. With only two chairs, a bearskin rug, and a stone fireplace, the inside of the cottage was very sparsely furnished; a few small photographs of the AVALANCHE party hanging from the walls being the only decoration to the place.

The kitchen happened to have been well stocked, and judging by the presence of a plate of fried eggs, bacon, and toast lying silently on the tabletop counter, had been used recently.

"Mmm.." murmured Tseng, picking up one of the pieces of bacon. Biting softly onto the small morsel of food, the Turk was surprised to discover a nice, robust flavor to the slice of meat.

It was still warm too.

"Tseng…" called a voice from behind. "I wasn't aware that my cooking made such an impression on you…"

Caught unaware, the Turk whirled about with blinding speed, gun in hand, and caught the sight of an irritated Vincent Valentine standing in front of him. His body resting lightly against one of the cottage's wooden walls, the gunslinger looked slightly out of place within the rustic setting; clad in his trademark black leather bodysuit and velvet cloak. The Death Penalty, perhaps the largest rifle Tseng had ever seen before in his life, was clutched loosely in Vincent's left hand; its gigantic barrel thankfully pointed away from the Turk.

"Valentine…" Tseng gasped, breathing in relief. "Gods... You startled me.."

"It's a pity…" spoke Vincent, eyeing Tseng over thoughtfully, "I wouldn't have thought that the Turks' abilities have deteriorated to the point of them being caught unaware in a mundane situation like this.…"

Shifting his weight suddenly, the gunslinger stood up from his leaning position and strode smoothly towards the Turk, depositing _Reno's _electric stun baton at Tseng's feet.

"Reno's lying in the front yard," growled the gunslinger, incensed at having his solitude interrupted yet again by an unwelcome occurrence, "unconscious, but more or less unharmed…."

Lifting the massive length of the Death Penalty up to Tseng's face, the gunslinger shook the rifle several times to emphasize his point.

"You, however, were a second away from having your brains scattered across the mountainside..."

"What do you want?"

A faint smile flickered on Tseng's otherwise expressionless face, following the Turk across the room as Tseng maneuvered carefully to seat himself on one of Vincent's wooden chairs.

"I see the skills of the great Vincent Valentine haven't faded a bit.." spoke Tseng softly, bemused at the gunslinger's irate display. "Your exploits were the stuff of legends to Turk lore, and I doubt there was a more suited to guarding Dr. Crescent during her research tha-"

Tseng immediately dropped the subject when he saw Vincent's face contort into a dangerous mask of cold hatred, and was slightly taken aback for a few moments before eventually continuing on.

"I… Well, actually, on behalf of Rufus Shinra… I have a proposition for you.."

"I saved your life once, Turk…" snarled the gunslinger harshly, causing even Tseng to shrink back in his seat, "Don't think there's any sort of 'special' relationship between us just because of that…"

"The Turks, Shinra, and 'Dr. Crescent' have done enough for my life already, and are but another closed chapter to this cursed book I call my existence.. One which I have no desire of reopening.."

Behind the collar of his trademark red cloak, Vincent's crimson eye's flickered dangerously.

"I suggest you leave… Tseng.."

An awkward silence filled the room, eventually broken by the sound of Tseng quietly munching on a spoonful of bacon and eggs. Tseng, in a characteristically "Turk" manner, showed no signs of physical or mental discomfort; brushing off the caped man's harsh demeanor with a another mouthful of breakfast.

"Good breakfast, Vincent.." commented the Turk, nodding appreciatively towards Vincent, "If I had known you'd be cooking, I'd have brought Elena along too…"

Sighing heavily in resignation, the gunslinger slowly sat down in the chair opposite of Tseng, allowing his head to rest on a gloved hand.

The Turk continued on.

"I doubt you know of it, but the world's not exactly in the best shape. While thanks to the efforts of you and your friends Gaia may be safe from imminent destruction, humanity has the unfortunate habit of finding other ways to wreak havoc on itself.."

"Take Wutai, for example.."

As if an electric current was shot through his body, Vincent Valentine unexpectedly sat upright in his seat, every fiber of his attention focused on Tseng. His hands, only moments before relaxed, gripped the wooden arms of his chair tightly, causing the wood to groan softly underneath the pressure.

"Wutai?" asked the gunslinger, his face visibly concerned.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Three Weeks Ago_

_Silence once again filled the balcony on which Yuffie Kisaragi and Vincent Valentine stood; the two of them lost in deep contemplation within the milky white brightness of the night sky. The young ninja, slightly miffed by her unexpected outburst at the ancient gunslinger, sat cross-legged on the balcony guardrail, her slim arms wrapped tightly around her knees in an attempt to keep warm in the chilly night air. _

_Vincent Valentine, ever the stoic, stood silently next to her; dumbfounded at what the girl had said to his face._

"_Special…" murmured Vincent, warily glancing over at Yuffie's compacted frame. "and… Pray tell, Yuffie Kisaragi… Why would this… ancient monster… a byproduct of a cowardly and impotent man's failures, be 'special' to anyone?"_

_Within a heartbeat, Vincent realized he said the wrong thing when he found his 6'2", 195lb frame slammed against the wooden wall by a very angry ninja._

"_It's because you're Vincent 'freaking' Valentine!" exclaimed Yuffie, shaking the gunslinger roughly. "It's because of your totally morbid fashion red cape, nasterrific pointy shoes, and emo-boy hair!"_

_Releasing Vincent's cloak, Yuffie took a few steps away from the older man, taking a few seconds to collect her own thoughts._

"_It's because of the fact that you try so hard not to smile in front of the others…" continued Yuffie softly, poking Vincent between the ribs in an 'still mad, but slightly playful' manner. "Even though we all know you think something's funny.."_

"_It's because of the way you always seem act…" added Yuffie, poking Vincent between the ribs again. "always calm and collected… Y'know? Despite the fact that planet-sized balls of fire are falling from the heavens… 'Vinnie-cool'…"_

_The girl paused, squelching her face tightly together in a careful effort to wring another reason from her brain, before adding one final thought to the list._

"_It's just because, Vinnie… You're __our__ Vinnie…"_

_Yuffie sighed in exasperation, and let out an audible shiver at the coldness of Edge's night air. A soft rustling noise came from behind her, almost causing her to turn abruptly until a gloved hand touched lightly on her shoulder._

_In one smooth fluttering motion, Vincent Valentine's trademark velvet cloak wrapped about her lithe frame, sheltering her from the cold breeze. It was soft, warm, and surprisingly comfortable; completely the opposite of the coarse, ragged garment Yuffie Kisaragi had imagined it to be. Smiling contentedly behind the collar of the cloak, Yuffie silently mumbled a prayer of thanks to Da Chao, glad that the velvet fabric masked the hot flush of color on her cheeks._

"_Aww… Thanks, Vinnie.. That's sweet.."_

_Behind her, Vincent Valentine's lips turned upward in a broad smile.._

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Tseng explained everything to Vincent, laying down the general overview of Gaia's precarious social, economic, and political situation as quickly and concisely as possible. Following the end of the Meteor Crisis and Shinra Electric's iron handed grip on world affairs, the many nations and peoples of Gaia were left in a state of compete anarchy, with the widespread energy mako had once supplied suddenly ceasing to flow.

As a result, public conveniences such as railways, electricity, and clean water also ceased to exist. Jobs, once abundant with Shinra Electric hiring millions in all venues of life, disappeared into thin air, leaving multitudes of once comfortable civilians starving and homeless in Gaia's great cities.

"In the more impoverished regions of the world," added Tseng, finishing the last morsel of fried egg on his plate, "they say that people have resorted to eating their own kind for survival…"

"A 'Reeve Tuesti', former Shinra Head of Urban Development, created a so-called 'World Regenesis Organization' aimed at restoring some semblance of order in this insane world of ours.. Rufus, of course, feels compelled to help Reeve's organization undo the long list of damages done to the planet by Shinra Electric, and has been supporting the WRO covertly with intelligence, money, and the remnants of Shinra Electric's former power.."

"Rufus… Helping?" Vincent couldn't help but scoff at such a thought.

"Well.. In all due fairness, Vincent, there are a number of dirty little things spawned from Shinra not even men of our caliber want lying about.. Are you familiar with the Wutainese Yakuza?"

Vincent nodded grimly, having had several run-ins with the now infamous criminal organization during his most recent visit to Wutai a year ago. A vicious crime syndicate spawned from the growing necessity to import huge quantities of necessary foodstuffs into the island nation of Wutai (whose tourist-based economy had basically collapsed due to the lack of tourists), the Wutainese Yakuza had quickly expanded its operations into Wutai's already fragile political system; offering their weapons and capabilities to the rival clans of the Kisaragi dynasty in an attempt to gain further power within the country.

"During the days of SHINRA, we Turks managed to keep their activities to a minimum.." explained Tseng, "It was an easy thing to do back then, seeing as their activities were limited to prostitution, loan-sharking, and gambling… Minor things."

"These days, with no one to rein in on their leash, those bastards have gone crazy with their operations…Added with the massive influx of ex-SHINRA executives and former SOLDIER's into their ranks (even dirtier bastards, if I may add), Reeve's got a lot riding on his plate.."

Tseng glanced down on his empty breakfast platter.

"No pun intended…"

"Get to your point.." spoke Vincent, "What exactly is going on in Wutai?"

Tseng paused momentarily, fingering the small painted dot on his forehead. This would be a long day, and Tseng made a private note to request a pay raise upon his next meeting with Rufus.

"Wutai's stability is in question, Vincent… The people there have been struggling to scratch out an existence without tourism, and the country is now a breeding ground for particularly dangerous political intrigues by some of Wutai's more prominent clans. Many nobles have questioned Godo Kisaragi's 'handling' of the situation, and death threats have been reported to have been made… The WRO's hands are tied, with Reeve's group lacking the sufficient resources and currently embroiled in several 'stabilizing' efforts elsewhere to be of any serious assistance."

"As much as you and I both dislike the thought.. We need your help, Vincent… You're the most logical choice to help us Turks. Your friends are hard at work with their own ventures in the WRO, and would raise too much attention if sent to Wutai… Far too much unnecessary attention."

"Having been a Turk, I would expect your skills and method of thinking would be compatible to our method of work… After all, 'once a Turk, always a Turk'…"

Looking down from Tseng's face, Vincent fought to comprehend the gravity of the situation. A power struggle in Wutai would most definitely affect the rest of the world for the worst, possibly bringing about another brutal war which would claim the lives of thousands; eventually dragging the lives of he and his friends into it. On the other hand, working with the Turks (Shinra's infamous group of covert assassins and 'enforcers') was an option he had very little taste for; the underhanded methods of this particular group bringing up a wealth of bad memories and nightmares for Vincent Valentine.

Even to this day, the gunslinger still had nightmares of the men, women, and children he had killed on behalf of President Shinra; guilty only for the crime of having had their photographs given to Vincent hours before their deaths. Vincent's membership in the Turks had eventually even led to his downfall… a story the cloaked gunslinger knew all too well to even need to reminisce.

Yuffie… She, undoubtedly, would be locked in the middle of this conflict. With the odds stacked so high against her chances, Vincent Valentine made a split-second decision that would ultimately change not only his life, but the lives of Yuffie Kisaragi and the people of Wutai altogether.

"Fine…" muttered Vincent, standing up from his chair. "I'll accompany you and the rest of the Turks further on this endeavor, though I'll want to be briefed further on this subject shortly.."

Without another word, the gunslinger strode quickly away from the living room of his tiny cabin, moving down the small hallway to reach his private cache of weaponry and mastered materia. In the space of thirty seconds, Vincent Valentine returned (his metal gauntlet once again fitted over his left hand) to a mildly surprised Tseng; the Cerberus holstered at his side and a sizable leather duffle bag hanging loosely from his left shoulder.

Once again, Tseng was somewhat taken aback by the ease at which he had managed to convince _Vincent Valentine, _a man famous for refusing to pick sides, to join his cause. Standing upright, the Turk politely bowed toward the gunslinger in gratitude, smiling slightly at the relative simplicity of his task

"That was too easy, Vincent.." spoke Tseng, running a hand through his raven locks, "Really, I expected more of a struggle from you."

"What is Wutai to you," questioned the Turk, eying the gunslinger over shrewdly, "that makes you so concerned? Hmm?"

Vincent ignored Tseng's inquiries, instead bending over slightly to pick up the _Death Penalty._

"Why would you even care, Valentine?" Tseng's eyes lit up slightly at a thought, "Unless, of course, there might be something… Or someone there worth keeping safe…"

A cold, piercing stare emulated from Vincent Valentine's face, wordlessly commanding the Turk to drop the subject. Tseng obliged, and without further ado, followed the larger man outside of the wooden cabin and towards the 'rest of the world'."

_Note: Not entirely sure if I did alright here, but I think I tried. R&R _

_Editor's Note: Some minor grammatical errors were corrected._


	4. Enter Yuffie

**Author's Note:** There you have it, Chapter 4 to FEGT. Sorry for the delay. R&R! :D

**Chapter Four**

_You must not hide in the shadows… You must be the shadows…_

Within the deceptively tranquil scene of the thick forest surrounding Wutai, a faint shadow shifted stealthily through the bush, tentatively testing the area around her for any sign of danger. The girl had followed her target for three days now, tailing closely behind in anticipation for the moment her prey lowered its guard.

_You must not hide behind the tree… You must be the tree…_

A pair of mischievous eyes peaked carefully from behind a leafy branch, popping back into hiding mere seconds after revealing themselves. Several days worth of stalking had revealed to the young ninja that this particular traveler was well-stocked with items, supplies, and a healthy cache of mastered materia; all of which would be ripe pickings for the learned thief.

_You must be stealth incarnate, for you are a legendary ninja! The Single White Rose of Wutai!_

Smiling wolfishly, the girl allowed herself to silently drop from her perched position on the tree to the ground, scampering rapidly to cover several meters from the traveler party's large white tent. To the front of her, a cooking fire crackled gently, almost as if to welcome the young girl to the treasure trove of potential findings waiting in store for her in the camp.

A large sack of mastered materia immediately caught her eye, sitting quietly in the quilted recess of a plaid sleeping bag a few paces from the fire. It was a tantalizing sight indeed, the young ninja noted, and looked quite lonely sitting in that position.

_Suckers_…

Without a second thought, the ninja promptly hopped cheerfully towards the sack of materia, snatching it up in her lithe arms in one fluid sweeping motion. Glancing about to see if the unfortunate owners of the pilfered treasure had returned, the girl cautiously inched away from the fire, mindful not to leave any trace of her presence in the campsite.

It was quite, the girl noted, almost too quiet.. As a matter of fact, the whole crime had seemed far too easy even for a skilled thief of her caliber, and now suspiciously reeked of a trap.

_A trap? Oh shi-_

Her sneaker bound foot brushed lightly against a thin transparent piece of thread lying low to the ground, severing the sensitive tripwire and resulting in the sudden appearance of a dozen carefully concealed crossbows (hidden in the trees surrounding the campsite), all pointed in her direction. Instinctively, the young ninja exploded into the air in a twisting motion, barely avoiding being skewered with a multitude of miniature crossbow bolts zooming lethally towards her form. All around her, strings of linked fireworks dropped down to the dirt, exploding in a fantastic fashion and spewing billowing clouds of white, red, and yellow smoke.

Loud explosions shattered the once tranquil silence of the Wutainese Forest, undoubtedly alerting everyone within a mile's radius of her presence. Cursing heavily, the ninja sprinted quickly away from the campsite as fast as her skinny legs could allow her to, praying to Da Chao that she would be able to escape detection once far away from the area.

The girl's cheeks burned furiously with anger and embarrassment, the white-hot tears of injured pride running freely down the side of her pretty face. It was a stupid mistake, one far too trivial for a ninja of her prowess.

"Stupid… Stupid.. Stupid…" muttered the girl, wiping away at her face with a gloved hand.

_*whoosh*_

Without warning, the girl found herself suspended several feet in the air by a rope coiled tightly around her left ankle. To make matters even more humiliating, the large sack of materia she had stolen now lay scattered about the forest floor below her, glowing brightly in an almost mocking manner.

Stuck in this ridiculous position, the girl was completely helpless.

_*crack*_

The distinct snapping sound of a twig immediately brought her attention to bear on the extreme seriousness of her situation, and caused her to frantically wiggle about in an attempt to escape the snare. Cursing softly at her prior decision not to bring a weapon into the forest (she had judged that there would be no need), the girl fumbled clumsily at the tight knot wrapped around her ankle, ultimately failing to untie herself from the trap.

A shadowy figure emerged from the brush, causing the girl to immediately stop her pitiful attempts at escape and stare slack-jawed at the fearsome form leering devilishly in her direction.

"Heh… Heh… Heh…" the figure chuckled darkly, a malicious smile forming. "So, ninja… It was you who dared to rob from my camp.."

The young thief twitched slightly from fear before attempting (and failing) to put on a defiant face for her captor. Needless to say, her enemy was hardly impressed.

"Huh…" smirked the figure, tapping a pair of figures into the soft belly of the captive. "I suppose there's only one way to put someone like you in your place…"

A pair of gloved hands shot forward violently, burying themselves deep into the girl's abdomen to start the torment…

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Tickle Fight!"

Without a trace of mercy, the thin fingers of Yuffie Kisaragi did their devilish work on the unprotected underbelly of her protégée, tickling furiously away and forcing a spew of giggling protests from the younger girl. Forced to laugh by the power of the older shinobi's "interrogative measures", Yumi Kobayashi weakly attempted to raise her hand in defeat, only to have her freshly exposed armpit subjected to the same torment.

"N-no! Ha-ha-ha-ha… P-p-please… Hee-hee-hee.. S-stop, Lady Kisaragi…" begged the girl between bursts of laughter, a few tears now running down her face. "I-I… I give!"

Grinning evilly, Yuffie continued her relentless assault on the younger girl before finally giving her protégée an affectionate poke between the ribs. With a single fluid motion, the older girl severed the cord suspending her student in the air, plopping the smaller ninja headfirst onto the ground in a comically undignified manner.

"Oww….." whined Yumi, gingerly rubbing her head. "That hurt…"

"Serves you right.." quipped Yuffie, flashing one of her trademark grins. "There's only one 'White Rose of Wutai'…. ME!"

"Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!"

Once again outdone by her teacher, the young girl could not help but scowl bitterly towards the triumphant Yuffie and accept defeat at the hands of a more capable opponent.

------------------------------------------------------------------

**Several Minutes Later…**

"Obviously, you didn't do a very good job of assessing your position.." commented Yuffie, biting deep into the flesh of a green tomato.

The younger girl nodded in reluctant agreement, helping herself to a generous portion of freshly steamed rice ladled from a large cooking pot hanging above the campfire.

As a ninja-in-training, Yumi Kobayashi had spent the greater part of this particular month in the wilderness with her instructor 'learning the ways of Ninjahood'; namely the arts of sneaking, thieving, and wilderness survival. Even despite the lean years that had befallen Wutai, the Wutainese custom of sending out twelve-year old children into the wilderness for the start of traditional training had not been neglected.

"Sheesh…" muttered Yuffie disapprovingly, "I mean… I like materia and stuff as much as the next girl… but walking right into a trap involving a dozen crossbows and a bunch of firecrackers is ridiculous.."

*sniff* *sniff*

The younger girl's body stiffened, her feelings obviously hurt by the stinging reprimand, before relaxing back into a normal pose. Noticing that the girl's feelings had been hurt, Yuffie paused in mid-bite to inch a bit closer to her apprentice, wrapping her arms around the child in a warm embrace. Still a bit embarrassed and flustered at her earlier mistake, the girl nevertheless returned the hug in kind, squeezing tightly around the older ninja with her skinny arms.

"There… There…" crooned Yuffie lightly, patting the girl tenderly on the head. "It's not that bad… I mean…. I think when I was your age… when I first set out on my awesomely terrific materia-thieving journey, I did something pretty stupid too.."

The girl looked up in disbelief, unsure of what to say. In the mind of a twelve-year old girl fresh out of primary school, the thought of the mighty Yuffie Kisaragi (a legendary hero who had helped vanquish Sephiroth during Meteorfall) making a mistake was impossible.

An impish grin lit up on Yuffie's face, the ninja putting a finger to her lips in a gesture implying a secret was soon to be told.

"Yeah… It's true.. Even the White Rose of Wutai made mistakes once, too.."

"When I was twelve… I happened to rob a very rich group of travelers one night.. At the time, I thought it was a good idea to wear all-black robes during my… activities. It made a whole lot of sense when I was twelve.. I mean, what more terrifying thing is there than a tiny ball of black fabric swooping down at your in a dark, mysterious forest?."

The older ninja paused, grimacing in embarrassment, before continuing on.

"Robbing the suckers was the easy part…" continued Yuffie, "But getting away was a little bit more difficult.. That particular part of the woods happened to have a lot of thorny branches and bush… Since I was a bit too occupied with gloating over the butt-load of materia I had stolen from that group, I didn't exactly watch where I was going.."

"Needless to say, I my clothes caught up in the thorns… and had to escape by ripping off the darned things and running off into the night butt-naked…"

The younger girl smirked at this tale, trying her best not to laugh her guts out at this startling new revelation. Yuffie, noticing the girl's snide looks, stood indignantly upright from her seat, wagging a finger huffily in her own defense.

"Hey…" protested the ninja, her young protégée now doubling up in laughter. "That was a long time ago… Jeez…"

The young girl continued to laugh despite Yuffie's protests, and was eventually joined by the older ninja. Throughout the Wutainese Forest, the sound of two girls laughing punctuated the usually tranquil atmosphere….

-------------------------------------------------

**Two Hours Later**

_In these troubled times, even the once peaceful woods surrounding Wutai had become perilous hotspots for travelers of all shapes and sizes; the legions of yakuza-backed thugs prowling about the countryside growing larger by the day. _

_Due to the crippling shortages that had broken throughout Wutai, it was not uncommon to see vast multitudes of 'ordinary' civilians seek protection under the myriad of noble families and Yakuza cells steadily gaining prominence within Wutai's borders; swearing complete loyalty and subservience to the leader of such an organization in exchange for a number of essential foodstuffs obtainable only through the black market. Once common staples such as rice, fish, tea, and important medicines were rarities due to the collapse of the world order following Meteorfall, allowing criminal (and political) entities with a vast wealth of resources to make a tidy profit through the sale and transport of these goods._

_With the Kisaragi Dynasty's relatively weak hold to power in Wutai, it was safe to say that widespread factionalism existed in Da Chao's land; the threat of civil strife looming ever closely for the nation._

Yuffie snorted in disgust, privately cursing Godo's inability to control the increasingly disloyal families in their own country. Ever since her return from Edge following the defeat of the remnants of Sephiroth, her country had spiraled even further into the dark socioeconomic depression that had seemed to affect much of the entire world.

"Lady Kisaragi…" called Yumi politely from behind, seemingly unaffected by the heavy pack on her back.

"How long are we from the city?"

Glancing up from her thoughts, Yuffie managed to flash a quick smile towards the child, before cocking her head sideways in thought.

"Ah… Well… It shouldn't take more than an hour.." replied Yuffie, eyeing the dirt trail before them. "I think we ought to get back in time for dinner, Yumes…."

The girl nodded, pressing forward with the pack on her back. While she would never admit it, Yuffie had taken quite a liking to her new apprentice, seeing the same spark of mischief that now blazed in her "Yuffie" persona. Much to Yuffie's pride and approval, the girl had also adopted her overwhelming obsession with Materia., a character trait the elder ninja encouraged in her young protégée.

"Sheesh, Yumes…" declared Yuffie, pausing in mid-step to wipe a bead of sweat forming on the tip of her nose, "It sure is a scorcher today… Remind me to take a long soak in the shower once we get back.."

Yumi hardly bothered to respond, instead allowing the heavy pack strapped on her back to fall freely to the ground as a petite hand snaked quickly down to the tiny dagger tied to her waist. Something about the forest was wrong, and anything wrong about the forest usually meant trouble of some sort.

In a heartbeat, Yuffie drew her Conformer and readied herself in a defensive fighting stance, taking care to stand next to the younger girl in a protective manner. The forest was far too quiet for its own good… far too quiet.

Hearing a rustling sound from her right, Yuffie instinctively hurled the razor-sharp conformer towards a faint shadow of a silhouette, cursing freely when she heard the disappointing sound of metal sinking deep into wood resound through the woods.

"You missed… _Lady_ Kisaragi.." a sinister voice drawled from the shadows.

A rat-faced man with a lean, lanky build stepped forward from behind an adjacent tree, clad in the fine robes of a Wutainese noble. Auburn-haired, the man also possessed a long hooking nose that rested lightly on a slender mustache.

Two green eyes completed his appearance, peeking coldly from behind a shock of auburn bangs.

In Yuffie's opinion, the man was as ugly as they came. To her great misfortune, the young ninja had the dubious honor of having been familiar with the repulsive man before.

"Shinji…" spat Yuffie hotly, narrowing her eyes at the sight of the noble. "Go ahead and tell me just why the hell are you here…. And what the fuck do you want?

"I thought Godo personally told you to back off a long time ago."

A set of faintly yellow teeth turned upward in a wicked green, the younger noble waggling his finger towards the pair of girls in a disapproving manner.

"Tsk.. Tsk… Lady Kisaragi…" spoke the noble, lecherously eyeing the frayed edge of Yuffie's undersized shorts. "That sort of language shouldn't be used around a girl of Yumi's innocent youth… One wouldn't want to.. 'corrupt' the children, would they?"

"You back the hell away from me, you creep!" snarled Yuffie furiously, taking half a step backward, "Or.. Or else you'll see an unholy load of crap dumped on you once Godo hears of this!"

"Ooooh… _'I'll tell daddy'_!" gasped Shinji mockingly, before leering viciously toward the two girls. "In case you haven't noticed, girl.. Godo Kisaragi has absolutely no power in his own city, let alone this country."

The noble paused momentarily, running his eyes over every inch of Yuffie's nubile body, admiring every feminine curve the ninja possessed with his perverted gaze. Just several days away from turning nineteen, the young ninja had begun to blossom into an impressive specimen of feminine beauty, her female curves beginning to take form in place of her once 'boyish' figure.

Licking his lips, the nobleman's hands short forward in attempt to grab the young ninja's shoulder, only to impaled through the hand by a tiny dagger flung from Yumi's direction.

Shinji immediately fell to a knee in shock and pain, his ugly face contorting into a hideous snarl directed towards the younger girl.

"You bitch!" howled the nobleman, spitting wrathfully at Yumi. "I'll make the both of you pay!"

A powerful push kick to the solar plexus knocked the man down to the ground, courtesy of an incensed Yuffie.

"Shinji, I swear to god!" exclaimed the ninja, her face beginning to turn beet red in fury, "If you ever so much think about touching me… Or her again.. I promise to you that you'll lose that pathetic piece of meat you call an arm!"

"Da Chao fucking help me!"

Lifting her knee high up in the air, Yuffie prepared to drive her foot deep into the man's testicles before a gunshot brought her attention away from the stunned man at her feet. It was ungodly loud, and even made her jump backward in surprise.

"That's enough.."

Another man emerged from the shadows, expertly spinning a silver revolver in one of his gloved hands. He was an impressive figure of a man, standing at about six feet and possessing a well-muscled build. The man also possessed a mustache, albeit far more impressive than Shinji's pathetic "perv stash", and goatee that was steel gray in color.

Clad in a brown vest, duster, and cowboy boots, the man looked fresh from the scene of a spaghetti western; a wicked array of gun belts strapped around his body. Three pistols, all identical, hung from an assorted set of holsters.

Had the man not had the face of a professional killer, Yuffie would've thought his appearance to be ridiculous.

"Mr. Takayama…" spoke the man, nodding slightly in Shinji's direction. "It's time to leave."

Around fifty-six in appearance, the older man nevertheless projected an aura of dangerous strength despite his venerable age, and looked far more than capable of doing quite a bit of damage with his pistols.

"Bu-" protested the noble, gesturing towards his mutilated hand.

"It's time to leave.." repeated the man, continuing to spin the revolver in his hand.

Picking himself up from the dirt, the nobleman shot a look of pure hate in Yuffie's direction, before reluctantly moving in his companion's direction. A large wad of spittle, hawked up by Shinji's spiteful throat, splattered at Yuffie's feet.

"Mark my words… Kisaragi whore…" growled the nobleman. "I'll personally enjoy humping your pretty little ass before I have _him _drive a bullet into your skull…"

Shinji's cold gray eyes glanced over Yumi momentarily, before focusing back on Yuffie's face.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll have her watch…"

A burst of light briefly blinded the two girls, spreading a thick cloud of greenish-yellow smoke throughout the area which soon dissipated in the afternoon breeze. Yuffie's eyes darted about in an attempt to discern the location of the two men, who had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Both were gone, leaving only the two girls alone in the woods.

Breathing heavily, Yuffie stooped over to catch her breath before standing upright. Yumi, visibly shaken by the experience, looked up at the older ninja in utter confusion.

"Leave the gear.." ordered Yuffie, regaining her senses.

"_We're going home."_


	5. Escape

Author's Note:

Maybe I'm going too far in depth with exposition? Oh well, I thought it would be all right coming from Yuffie's perspective this time. Expect Yuffentine fluff coming up pretty soon, and major plot development. 

_**Chapter Five**_

_Imperial Palace, Wutai_

"What part of '_He tried to freaking molest me'_ did you not understand?"

A furious Yuffie, with a slightly cowed Yumi at her heels, raged furiously at her father. Shaking his head in exasperation, Emperor Godo Kisaragi threw his hands upward in resignation. It had been a long enough day for the fifty-one year old man, having been occupied with the dealing with the multitude of Wutai's problems from his imperial desk, and had not been improved when a infuriated young ninja burst into the royal chambers screaming for divine retribution.

"Yuffie…." the Emperor replied, attempting in vain to calm his spirited daughter, "You must understand the precariousness of the situation. The Takayama family has always been one of the strongest and most loyal clans in Wutai, having supported our country during the war with Shinra many years ago!"

Yuffie bit the bottom of her lip, seething in rage. Her apprentice, anticipating the release of a famous "Yuffie" tantrum, wisely stepped several paces away before sneaking out the door of the imperial chamber altogether.

"Now… I don't argue with you on the error of Shinji's lechery…" continued Godo, patting out a wrinkle from his lavender robes. "God knows, I detest that wretch myself.. But to go so far as to publicly demand Shinji Takayama's head in front of his family… in front of the nobles.. In front of his father's presence… That's just simply impossible!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Godo?"

The ninja exploded in a violent outburst, causing even her father to cringe at her fury. In typical Yuffie-esque fashion, her usually fair complexion was steadily turning into a darker shade of crimson, much like a tomato.

"A creepy perv tries to put the moves on me… ME! Yuffie-freakin-Kisaragi… and the best you can do is wimp out just 'cause you don't wanna make his daddy angry? Gods… Dad, whatever happened to Pride and Honor…. And all of that stuff?"

"Yuffie…" implored Godo, struggling to contain Yuffie's rage. "Tonight, the festival of Da Chao takes place… and all the nobles, including the Takayama clan, will be here to celebrate the date along with the rest of the country!"

The Emperor paced back and forth anxiously, attempting to explain the sensitivity of the situation to the best of his ability.

"Wutai has suffered so much after Meteorfall…" continued Godo, "and it isn't quite what it used to be.. We need the strength of the nobles, despite their shortcomings, to maintain order and combat the growing threat of this so-called yakuza presence in Wutai… Without their loyalty, my strength.. Our strength as the ruling family is moot."

"No!" belted Yuffie, turning abruptly towards the direction of the door. "Forget it! I'm completely done talking about this crap!"

Without a second glance, Yuffie stormed out of Godo's audience chamber, taking care to slam the heavy door behind her as loudly as possible. Servants and retainers to the emperor, noticing the young princesses' wrath, rushed to avoid her path in the hallways, scurrying for cover when she approached.

"Worthless… Sack of…." Yuffie's curses reverberated throughout the hallway, following her around the palace.

A deft twist of the wrist opened up the doorway to Yuffie's private bedchamber, which the ninja entered, slamming the door behind her.

It was a splendidly well-furnished room, decorated with a wild assortment of stuffed animals and Paper Mache dragons protruding from every nook and cranny of the bedroom. Materia, undoubtedly collected from her years spent robbing the unfortunate, was festooned all about her wooden floor; a testament to her kleptomaniac tendencies.

Exhaling deeply, the ninja allowed herself to plop carelessly into the arms of a purple beanie chair, her limbs flopping about loosely as her body landed heavily on the soft seat. The day's events had completely drained her usual vigor and enthusiasm for life, leaving her with only the adolescent desire to squander the rest of the day eating potato skins and watching television.

Slouching further into the beanie chair, the ninja reached lazily for a bag of already opened chips resting on a nearby cabinet. After taking the time to sniff cautiously at the contents of the bag, Yuffie proceeded to munch away greedily at the chips in a truly undignified manner, stuffing handfuls of the treat into her tiny mouth.

"Mrff…" mumbled the ninja angrily, flicking her television set onto a local Wutainese soap opera.

"Mrmmm… Hrmm… Hmrff…"

_If only AVALANCHE could see me now…_

Sighing heavily at the thought of her friends, the ninja slouched even deeper into her chair, wistfully reminiscing on the exciting times and journeys she had undergone with her friends in the days long past. In her mind, those days were far more interesting than the boring intrigues that had taken over her homeland.

A picture of the group, taken over two years ago, sat upright on Yuffie's cabinet.. One of the few pictures she actually kept in her room. Her wandering eyes turned their attention away from the T.V. set and focused on the picture, an involuntary smile flickering on the young girl's face in the process.

It had been taken on their last visit to the Golden Saucer years ago, and had the entire gang (including Aerith) posed in one big group shot in front of a large Ferris Wheel. Small smiles (and a big grin, in Yuffie's case) were present on every single one of the AVALANCHE members' faces, except one..

Vincent Valentine.

The mysterious gunman's expressions were characteristically hidden behind the collar of his thick scarlet cloak, and he stood awkwardly on the far right end of the group shot with arms crossed tightly around his chest.

"Ugh…" muttered Yuffie, disgusted at the fact that she was emulating this gunslinger far too well in her current state, "Me.. Acting like Vinnie? Sheesh…"

Her eyes softened slightly as she continued to look at the gunslinger's photograph, a slight twinge of guilt resonating inside her core. Despite her initial feelings of distrust and outright dislike of the ex-Turk's cold, almost antisocial tendencies.. She had eventually acquired a fascination and liking (though she would be loathe to tell Tifa) for the mystifying character's dark and tragic past; secretly sympathizing with the untold horrors the man had experienced at the hands of Professor Hojo years before.

Vincent Valentine had clearly suffered far more than any character in the group, damaged perhaps beyond repair by the constant nightmares and demons raging inside his troubled mind. Despite this, the gunslinger nevertheless exuded rare moments of comfort and gentleness that poked out from behind his steely exterior that surprised even Yuffie herself.

It was Vincent who had been the first to forgive her after her failed attempt at 'relieving' AVALANCHE of their Materia, persuading the rest of the group to do the same, and it was Vincent who wordlessly allowed the young girl to cry freely on his shoulder after Aerith's unexpected death. Vincent's bedtime stories, told to the wide-eyed ninja during late nights around the campfire, smacked of high fantasy and adventure, willing the girl to sleep even on the most stormy of nights.

He was also a bit cute… In a very 'Vincenty' way..

_Cute?_

The ninja blinked, slightly surprised at the thoughts erupting from her head, before settling down into a lazy smile. It had been a very long day, and she could begin to feel her tired body slowly drift away into the warm comforts of sleep.

_Yeah… Cute…_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_It was beginning to rain._

Glancing about his surroundings, the cloaked gunslinger carefully maneuvered his tall frame through the rooftops of the ancient buildings surrounding Wutai's Imperial Palace. Taking care not to bump the massive rifle strapped to his back on any part of the buildings' tile roofing, the man stealthily leapt from rooftop to rooftop, eventually reaching his desired position behind a massive stone dragon overlooking the Palace Courtyard.

Despite the bright lights illuminating the city streets below, Vincent Valentine nevertheless managed to stay hidden in the shadows high above the city, unseen to the normal bystander.

"I'm in position…" mumbled Vincent softly, speaking into a small headset tucked under his trademark bandanna.

With one swift motion, the massive bulk of the Death Penalty rifle was unbuckled from Vincent's back, carefully propped up on a slim metal gun rest the man had set next to the stone dragon. A large telescopic scope, produced from one of Vincent's many suit pockets, soon found itself attached to the Death Penalty's sight rail.. Offering a perfect view of the scene several hundred yards away.

"Very good..." a voice replied on the headset, "Elena is also in position, while Reno and Rude are waiting in support on the helicopter."

The festival of Da Chao was perhaps the most important of holy days, bringing together the entire Wutainese population in a single night of fantastic pomp and circumstance. Thousands of people from all backgrounds flooded the streets of the royal city, lighting up the night with the red paper lanterns they all held in their hands.

It was shocking to see that even despite the growing problems of poverty and crime, tradition still held true in the country.

"Hrmf.." grunted the gunslinger, peering through the Death Penalty's sight.

Nobles from the major clans of Wutai, decked in their aristocratic splendor, strolled about casually in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace, conversing with each other in the manner of the social elite. Palace servants were close at hand, attending to the whims of the Nobility with platters of rice treats and sake.

"Pretty damn fine party, eh Vincent?" called Reno's voice from the headset.

"Jesus Christ, Reno.." a feminine voice hissed in reply, "No unnecessary radio chatter…"

A large paper-mache dragon, molded into enormous proportions for the occasion, took the center part of the courtyard. Richly decorated with golden paper and purple ribbons, the dragon stood nearly two stories in height, and looked big enough to house a school bus or two in its gigantic belly.

In Wutai tradition, the lighting of the paper dragon (a symbol of strength and longevity) signified the beginning of the Festival, symbolizing the hope for a brighter future.

Vincent scoffed at the idea, and slightly shifted his crouched position on the pagoda roof. Three bullets, massive rounds that could easily punch through the toughest surfaces, were gently guided into the loading gate of the Death Penalty by Vincent's capable fingers.

According to Tseng's rushed briefing on the helicopter ride to Wutai, something particularly bad was scheduled to happen at this festival.

True to his word, it didn't take too long for all hell to break loose.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Licking his lips eagerly, the nameless man sat silently within the dark confines of the paper dragon's bell, spinning a pair of Colt Single Action Army revolvers in his gloved hands. It was a familiar feeling, the two perfectly balanced pistols humming in perfect rhythm as they spun in a perfect arc round and round his fingertips.

Thirty years had passed since a younger version of himself first wrapped hands around the familiar sandalwood grips, depressing the sensitive trigger of the finely tuned weapon to end the life of an unfortunate obstacle in his path. It had been more than thirty years since the first time he felt the utter ecstasy of driving a well-aimed bullet into the head of a luckless victim; he had indeed been young then.

Now old and gray, the years had nevertheless failed to lessen his fantastic talents with pistol nor his uncanny physical abilities. If any, the years had ripened his flavor (like good wine) and endowed him with the gifts of a war god.

From inside the paper dragon, he could easily hear the sounds of festivities taking place outside; noblemen and ladies from across the whole of Wutai enjoying the outstanding display of fireworks and music in the Royal Palace. Tonight would be a horrible surprise for each and every one of them.

Privately, the man pitied these "civilians"… so lost and unaware of the true fragility and preciousness of human life. Life was a delicate thing, so easily broken in a single moment. As a former Turk, a hired assassin of Shinra Electric, he understood better than most of this one single truth: life was an easy thing to make "disappear".

Men, women, children… He had killed them all in every single manner imaginable during his impressive career, eventually becoming feared even in the inner circles of Turk society for his ruthless dedication to killing. A legend.

Two revolvers spinning in his hand suddenly made an abrupt stop, bringing the attention of the fifty other heavily armed men in the paper dragon to snap to attention at this grandiose gesture. Grinning wickedly, the Man With No Name lifted his grizzled mane of hair skyward in anticipation for the carnage ahead.

"It's show time, boys…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From within her bedroom, Yuffie Kisaragi stirred softly, woken from her catnap by the sounds of celebration coming from outside the bedroom window. Brushing the tiny pieces of potato chips that now littered her lap, the princess peered down at the courtyard where she saw a mass of Wutainese nobility and civilians gathered for Da Chao's Festival.

Godo, dressed in a ceremonial robe, stood before the mass to deliver the festival's commencement speech.

"Friends… Kinsmen… Citizens of Wutai!" called Godo, the Emperor speaking loudly atop a balcony.

"I would like to thank you all for yet another year of celebration. Though the years have not be so kind to our beloved nation.. We must nevertheless thank Da Chao for our many small blessings.. And pray to the gods that they smile on the years to come!"

A look of horror dawned on her face as the girl realized that she had nearly missed the most important festival of the year. In a flash, Yuffie bolted towards her wardrobe cabinet, desperately flinging together a slightly mismatched kimono outfit in an attempt to hurry towards the celebration.

"Aww.. Crap!" swore Yuffie, cringing at the sight of her unkempt hair.

"So! Without further ado…" continued Godo's voice from outside the Palace, "Let us begin! Light the Dragon!"

Cheers erupted from the courtyard square, which soon transformed into cries of shock and terror as the paper dragon erupted into one massive explosion.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Christ!"

The massive fireball illuminated the entire night sky with its intensity, momentarily blinding Vincent as he looked through the _Death Penalty's _telescopic sight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

_*bang*_

A well placed round, shot from the barrel of a Colt Single Action Army pistol, blew the brain tissue out of an unfortunate man's skull, splattering the pinkish-red substance on the stones of the courtyard square. Almost immediately, the barrels of fifty automatic rifles erupted into one gigantic fusillade of fire, cutting down throngs of innocent bystanders with shocking speed and violence.

Men, clad entirely in the uniforms of former SOLDIERs (the emblems of SHINRA visibly ripped from their lapels), charged forward from the burning ruin of the paper dragon, slaughtering all that stood in their path.

Godo Kisaragi's eyes widened in complete shock as he slowly realized the gravity of the situation; the Imperial Palace was under attack! Glancing around frantically for any type of weapon, the Emperor quickly spotted a ceremonial shuriken hanging next to a burning torch. Yanking the blade from its wooden hanger, Godo tried desperately to rally the few Wutainese ninjas at his disposal to battle, before hurling his weapon furiously into the chest of an enemy soldier.

The SOLDIER instantly dropped to the ground dead, a golden shuriken protruding from his chest. Sensing the presence of the Emperor, the mass of SOLDIERs moved swiftly towards the door of the Imperial Palace, gunning everything that moved with overwhelming brutality.

In the sky, several heavily armed helicopter gunships suddenly appeared from the cover of the gray storm clouds, blasting away indiscriminately at the fleeing masses of nobles and civilians attempting to escape the carnage. SOLDIERs, all armed with an assortment of assault rifles and submachine guns, rappelled swiftly onto the rooftop of the Imperial Palace, guns held at the ready.

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Yuffie stared slack-jawed at the chaos, dropping a small comb from her hand as she struggled to grasp the reality of the situation. Seconds later, a masked SOLDIER armed with pistol burst through her bedroom window, raising the barrel of the weapon to fire.

The ninja reacted, knocking the weapon from the intruder's grasp with a well-aimed roundhouse kick. A second blow struck the SOLDIER's ribcage with vicious force, snapping several of the bones into multiple pieces.

Gasping in pain, the intruder dropped to the ground, allowing the ninja to escape the bedroom before more SOLDIERs entered through the windows. Thankfully, due to her haste in readying herself for the festival, Yuffie had neglected to remove her shorts and tank top from underneath the burdensome kimono. Without a second thought, the young ninja threw off the kimono in one fluid motion, successfully blinding a pair of SOLDIERs pursuing from behind her.

The girl sprinted speedily through the halls of the massive palace, desperately attempting to elude her pursuers. All over the palace, heavily armed SOLDIERs burst into the scene entering the building from roofs, walls, and windows; spraying bullets into the bodies of random servants and retailers as they pressed forward relentlessly. With the skill and grace of an expert ninja, Yuffie leapt right over one SOLDIER barring her way, bouncing fluidly off a wooden wall and drop kicking another adversary as she ran.

"Yuffie!"

Godo, visibly injured, was doing his best to fight off the hordes of intruders with a small band of ninja. Armed with a pair of short tanto daggers, the Emperor slashed furiously away at the SOLDIERs, utilizing the close quarters of a smaller hallway to minimize the enemy's use of firearms.

"Get into the throne room!" bellowed Godo, dropping an enemy directly behind Yuffie with thrown dagger.

Nodding in obedience, the young girl rushed to her father's side, picking up a small knife one of the downed SOLDIERs had dropped. A ninja, one of Yuffie's childhood friends, fell to the ground with a large bullet hole in his head, immediately going limp as she struck the floor.

"Rubi!" screeched the girl, trying in vain to catch her. "No!!!"

"Yuffie!" Godo screamed, yanking the girl up from off the floor. "Let her go… She's dead."

Despite his wounds, it took very little effort for Godo to life Yuffie from off the floor. Flanked by loyal ninja, the Emperor swiftly managed to dash into the Imperial Throne room with his tiny entourage… The heavy bronze doors of which were promptly slammed shut and bolted as soon as the last member of the group entered inside.

Screams of the dying could be heard through the metal doors, followed by the unceasing sound of gunfire. Godo, doing his best to maintain control of a simply uncontrollable situation, squeezed his young daughter softly… trying hard to comfort the girl despite the hellish ordeal taking place.

"It's all right… Yuffie.." Godo cooed softly, stroking the younger ninja's head. "It's all right…"

Gritting her teeth tightly, Yuffie silently wiped away a stream of tears pouring down the sides of her cheeks, the knuckles of her right hand whitening at the sheer amount of force put into gripping the tanto by her side. Looking up at her dad, Yuffie nodded wordlessly in acknowledgement of the situation before standing upright in a determined fighting stance.

The enemy were now at the door, furiously battering away at the blocked entrance to the throne room. It wouldn't be long before they burst in, bringing the end with them.

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With blinding speed, the gunslinger leapt from rooftop to rooftop, lugging the massive bulk of the _Death Penalty _with him as he hurried towards the Imperial Palace. Shortly after recovering his night vision, Vincent had watched in horror as the uniformed gunmen erupted out from the belly of the flaming paper dragon, massacring the crowd of innocents in their charge towards the Imperial Palace. Helicopters, undoubtedly carrying more enemy soldiers, also arrived on scene in an equally unexpected manner, swooping down from the heavens shortly after.

The few Wutainese Guards overseeing the ceremony had put up a heroic, albeit fruitless resistance to the intruding force; the majority gunned down in the combat taking place within the courtyard in the first opening minutes of the assault.

"Vincent.." Elena's voice called from the earpiece, "These guys are out for the Emperor and the Princess.. I'm not exactly sure where Godo and Yuffie are, but if I'd have to guess… they'd probably be holing up in the throne room with the remainder of their guard force.."

Taking careful aim at hovering helicopter in his field of vision, Vincent effortlessly fired the Death Penalty one-handed in its direction, successfully rupturing the aircraft's gas tank and sending it careening down to the earth in flames.

"Listen.." continued Elena, moving in the background, "I'm gonna try and get a better spot to cover you… but you're the only one of us who stand a chance at rescuing Godo or Yuffie from that mess. Reno, Rude, and Tseng are up in the helicopter… and don't stand a chance yet with all these choppers flying around."

Two brass boots landed solidly on the rooftop of the Imperial Palace, followed by the sound of Vincent grunting in confirmation.

"Got it…"

Two crimson eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, and instantly detected the presence of a pair of SOLDIERs standing several meters from his left. Undoubtedly dropped off by a helicopter, the armed men also sensed Vincent in turn and promptly turned in his direction, both ready to unload a loaded clip into his skull.

During his time in the Turks, Vincent Valentine had been taught a host of combative skills ranging from marksmanship to torture, and had also been well versed in the art of close combat. His knowledge of particularly gruesome form of Jiu-Jitsu, coupled with the superhuman strength and reflexes granted to him by Hojo's experiments, made him quite the force to be reckoned with… even at this range.

With blinding speed, the gunslinger sidestepped the direction of his opponent's weapon, parrying the SOLDIER's pistol holding hand and swiftly locking it into a painful wristlock. Two gunshots, involuntarily fired by the same SOLDIER, dropped his comrade instantly as Vincent skillfully manipulated the direction of the pistol in the other man's direction.

Half a breath later, the SOLDIER found himself thrown violently to the ground, his arm torqued painfully in an awkward position. The arm snapped, and a bloodcurdling scream filled the air before a gauntleted hand crushed the man's skull with a powerful blow to the back of the head.

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The bronze door burst forward, broken by the force of repeated pounding by a multitude of foes. With a defiant roar, the tiny band of defenders charged forward to meet their enemy, determined to put up a good fight despite the overwhelming odds.

Yuffie Kisaragi, standing alongside her father, rushed towards the attackers with knife in hand. A deft flick of her wrist sent the weapon flying towards the first silhouette that entered the door frame..

_*bang*_

The dagger exploded into pieces.

_*bang* *bang* *bang* *bang*_

Four more shots rang out, dropping the remaining ninjas surrounding Yuffie and her father. From the swirling mass of gun smoke, a pair of familiar faces stepped forward into the light... Both grinning malevolently at the stunned duo.

The first was a gun slinging man dressed in a very "cowboy-ish" outfit, gray hired and in his middle fifties. At a wave of his hand, a throng of armed SOLDIERs followed in after him, fanning out to surround Godo and Yuffie.

The second was Shinji Takayama…

"You bastard!" roared Godo, charging furiously at the rat-faced man with knife in hand.

Almost lazily, the gunman pointed his revolver towards the Emperor and unloaded his last bullet into Godo's face. Blood, bone, and brain matter scattered out from the back of his head, splattering onto the face of Yuffie Kisaragi, who now stood in shock. Shinji, leering lecherously at the younger girl, nudged Godo's lifeless body out from his path with a booted foot.

"Huh…." scoffed the nobleman, eyeing the dead emperor. "It's pink.."

A perverted gaze overtook the man's face, as he rushed toward the girl, driving his foot hard into her midsection in a brutal thrust kick. Yuffie, the wind knocked out of her, fell back with a gasp; her head bumping painfully on the marble floor.

"Stop!!!" a voice shouted, drawing the roomful of men's attention to a small purple blur.

Yumi, popping out from her hiding spot behind the throne, raced forward to tackle Shinji and prevent further harm from being inflicted on her defenseless master. It was a queer sight, to see the tiny girl attempt to attack a man twenty-seven years her senior.

_*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*_

The unnamed gunman drew second gun from his holster, emptying three rounds into the chest of the preteen without blinking. Yumi, eyes glazed over in disbelief, stopped in midair before slumping heavily to the ground in a bloody mess. A faint gasp, the tiny girl's last breath of air, could be audibly heard before complete silence overtook the room.

Surrounded by blood and gore, the bodies of her closest friends and loved ones lying carelessly on the ground like garbage, Yuffie Kisaragi snapped..

Leaping upright, the girl smacked the man solidly with a straight punch to the face, following up with a flurry of knees, elbows, and hammer fists. Shinji, thoroughly not expecting Yuffie to put up any sort of fight, floundered about helplessly as he struggled to defend himself.

The gunman eyed this situation with a faintly amused look on his face, allowing Shinji's beating to continue on for several more seconds before wordlessly shooting the enraged ninja's knee out from under her.

Unexplainable pain erupted, jolting up her legs like lighting and burning agonizingly in a peculiar manner. Her kneecap had been pulverized to an unrecognizable pulp and was now bleeding freely onto the marble floor. Shinji, discombobulated by the particularly harsh beating the ninja had given him, stared angrily at the pitiful sight before slowly wiping away the trail of hot blood coursing down from his busted nose.

"Heh…." sneered the nobleman, stooping down to further examine his helpless victim.

"It's funny how things work out, isn't it… Lady Yuffie?"

A hand, bandaged from the knife wound he had received hours ago in the Wutainese Forest, landed heavily on Yuffie's chest… roughly groping the girl's small breasts.

Yuffie whimpered softly in protest, but could otherwise do nothing to stop the lecherous man on top of her from desisting in his unwanted advances. Shinji, sensing this, grinned wildly in triumph; his other hand tracing lightly down the ninja's left shoulder.

"What was it I said to you in the forest today?" quipped the nobleman, tightening his grip on Yuffie's breast. "That I'd enjoy 'humping' your pretty little ass someday?"

"Too bad that little bitch isn't here to see you…"

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Crimson eyes narrowed suddenly in anger, and a gloved hand depressed the trigger of the _Death Penalty. _A mighty flash of light erupted from the barrel of the massive weapon, driving 800 grains of armor-piercing, high explosive power through the window of the throne room.

An explosion, a flash of light, and a disgusting splattering sound was all that registered in Yuffie Kisaragi's mind as Shinji Takayama's arm burst into a sickening cloud of gore, separating from his shoulder by the power of the _Death Penalty's _12.7mm round. The arm flew up and cart wheeled comically several times in midair before hitting the floor with a repulsive slap.

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"Take cover!" bellowed the gunman, narrowly dodging a second bullet that tore through a window and transformed a luckless SOLDIER's face into an unrecognizable mush.

Taking heed, the men ducked behind articles of furniture and the wall of the pagoda to protect themselves from the unseen sniper. _The Man With No Name_, crouched safely behind cover, reloaded his two revolvers with blinding speed, ejecting cases from the Colts in record time.

Yuffie struggled to keep consciousness, trying in vain to sit upright. Through her bloodshot eyes, the world seemed like it was spinning in some sort of perverse merry-go-round… spots of green and flashes of red obscuring her view.

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Vincent leapt from his position overlooking the throne room, aimed directly at the windows of the throne room. His body quaked in uncontrollable rage as he flew through the air, incensed by the show of abuse that had befallen on of his comrades.

With the _Death Penalty _now slung snugly on his back, the cloaked gunslinger swiftly drew the triple barreled Cerberus pistol from its holster; a thumb cocking the hammer of the large revolver into firing position.

Summoning his reserves of inner strength, the gunslinger felt a familiar feeling overtake him as his body morphed fluidly into a shapeless mass of crimson.

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A colossal mass of red fabric crashed through the remaining panes of glass and fluttered wildly around the throne room, causing even the battle-hardened SOLDIERs to cry out in fear. In one swift swoop, the cloud of scarlet cloth flowed protectively around Yuffie Kisaragi's limp form, acting as a shield.

Bullets ripped through the sentient mass of cloth to no effect, deflected harmlessly away with surprising ease. Even the nameless man's revolvers proved useless on this intangible foe, which seemed to taunt his attempts at destroying it with continued flapping noises.

A pair of glowing red eyes seemed to stare out from the shapeless mass, followed shortly by three barrels that barked ferociously as bullets ripped through the air, striking flesh with every shot.

Yuffie felt a pair of strong arms wrap firmly around her waist, hoisting her up into the air, before losing herself in the dark comfort of unconsciousness.

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Vincent blasted away furiously at the inhabitants of the room, hell bent on slaughtering as many of the miserable bastards he could in the process of evacuating Yuffie from the scene. One SOLDIER, his chest cavity torn to shreds by the triple-barreled pistol, fell limply to the ground with his weapon still firing, downing more of his comrades as he died.

One glance at Yuffie told Vincent that vengeance, at least for now, would have to wait. The Princess obviously needed serious medical aid, and could not be treated in a room full of enemies.

With one final pull of the trigger, the swirling mass of scarlet flowed out into the night sky… leaving the men to the roomful of dead and dying. Blood now soaked the once immaculate marble floor.

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"Helicopter.." snarled Vincent into his headset, "Now!"

The gunslinger, now in human form, struggled to keep the young ninja safe in his arms while dodging the bullets shot at him by SOLDIERs and helicopters alike.

An enemy gunship swooped down on his silhouette, poised to unleash a lethal barrage of cannon fire until blown from the sky by a rocket propelled grenade.

Vincent blinked, and saw a welcome sight.

Tseng, leaning gracefully from the open door of a Turk Blackhawk helicopter, dropped the tube of a disposable rocket to the ground. A large minigun, manned by Elena, unleashed a torrent of cannon fire onto the enemy targets below, suppressing the opposition long enough for the cloaked gunslinger to glide into the helicopter's open door.

"Get us out of here, Reno!" shouted Tseng, taking cover behind the Blackhawk's armored plating

"Yo…." muttered Reno in reply, "You don't got to tell me that twice, boss…"

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_Thirty seconds later…_

"There's something in the bullet.." Elena stated in disgust, pulling back Vincent's mastered 'Cure' materia from Yuffie's mangled knee. "It must've been poisoned by something…"

As soon as they had escaped the danger zone, the group immediately set their sights on tending to Yuffie's precarious physical state with the limited array of medical equipment at their disposal. Though Elena had managed to successfully remove the .45 caliber bullet from deep inside Yuffie's leg, the wound had failed to respond to any of their potions or materia.

"Dragon fang…." mumbled Vincent, sniffing the knee gingerly. "That… man must've dipped his bullets in dragon fang…"

A soft moan escaped from Yuffie's lips, followed by a faint flicker of movement from her eyes. Elena, still possessing a nurturing streak despite her employment in the Turks, stroked the young ninja's head softly in an attempt to comfort her.

"She'll die in ten minutes… unless we find a way to get 'it' out of her system.." noted Tseng dryly.

Kneeling down to Yuffie's level, the gunslinger rested his ungauntleted hand on the side of Yuffie's cheek, red eyes peering deeply into her own gray orbs. A thumb caressed her face, compelling her to let out another moan of discomfort.

"Yuffie…" spoke Vincent, continuing to stare deep into her eyes, "You've been poisoned by a bullet dipped in pulverized dragon fang… Unless this toxin leaves your body immediately, you will die in less than ten minutes… Do you understand?"

Yuffie whimpered in reply, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm going to do my best to suck as much of it out as possible… Do you understand? This may hurt.. But just hold onto my hand as tightly as possible until it's finished.."

Weak as she was, Yuffie managed to grasp Vincent's gloved hand.

Lowering his face down to her injured leg, Vincent carefully grasped the top part of her quadriceps to slow the flow of blood, placing his lips down on the open wound. Sucking deeply, the gunslinger suppressed a sudden urge to vomit as the vile liquid (a rancid, toxic taste) entered his mouth.

The pain was excruciating, and felt like hot iron was being sucked out from her body. Gripping tightly to the cloaked man's hand, Yuffie nevertheless managed to keep still while the gunslinger did his work.

He spat, the greenish-red mixture flying out of the helicopter, and continued the routine for three more minutes before confident enough to attempt to bandage Yuffie's wound. With Elena's help, the gunslinger gently wrapped the shattered joint in a tight compress, casting 'Cure' from his mastered materia piece to stop the bleeding. This time, due to the removal of much of the toxin, Yuffie's body responded positively to the spell, slowing the bleeding to a manageable trickle of blood.

"Uhh…." groaned Yuffie weakly, squeezing Vincent's hand tightly.

A familiar pair of strong arms encircled Yuffie's waist, holding her tightly as the helicopter continued to move forward with reckless speed. Lightning flashed, and the tiny trickle of water that had begun to fall only minutes ago now transformed into an unceasing torrent of rain.

Ignoring the stares of the Turks, Vincent Valentine gently wrapped his velvet cloak around the ninja's slender body, protecting her from the elements. The girl's body began to shake uncontrollably, not out of cold or discomfort, but from the sudden release of emotion. Tears, held back in the prior moments, poured like rain down Yuffie's face and grief-stricken sobs wracked her frame.

Unsure of what to say, the gunslinger held the girl tighter, staring blankly out of the helicopter's doorway to the quickly changing scenery zooming past them.

"_Once upon a time….." _spoke Vincent after what seemed like hours, _"There lived a girl in a house of bread……"_

_**Note: A bit long… Sorry. Be sure to R&R for more updates!**_

**_Note: Whoops... I made a few mistakes in spacing. corrected._**


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